


Simplicity

by Sebastina_Michaelis



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Fluff, Gen, One Shot, Prompt Fic, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-06 10:22:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20289886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sebastina_Michaelis/pseuds/Sebastina_Michaelis
Summary: Prompt: Love isn't always easy, but you make it feel so simple.





	Simplicity

Even after all this time, you still weren't used to seeing Nathalie like this. Her dark hair was down, although with how it stuck out in a few places, you were convinced she hadn't brushed it yet. And she was still wearing her faded college shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants that dragged on the floor no matter how much she rolled up the bottom. You could watch her get ready in the morning, and you still couldn't wrap the head around the transition she made from being calculating and efficient to the more casual state you were beholding.

There was still a certain precision to how she did things. Even if there was no actual plan, it was as if she was following one anyway. When something took too long to cook, or the timer went off at an unideal time she'd furrow her brow and set things down a little harder than they needed to be. Once she had fallen back of the swing of things, it was as if she hadn't been frustrated in the first place. Yet, in the mental list she was always making for herself, in a more relaxed setting like this she could be oddly forgetful at times.

Nathalie flips the burner off and dumps an omelet onto the plate with the others. She glances at the timer on the stove before moving her attention to the coffee maker. The last drops of coffee fall from the nozzle before she grabs a spoon from the drawer and turns. She visibly jumps when spotting you there, and her brow creases slightly. “Don't sneak up on me like that.”

You smile meekly as she swirls a spoon of sugar into the mug.“Sorry, I didn't want to disturb you.” Nathalie skeptically arches and eyebrow and hands you the mug. “It's not every day you make brunch.”

You take a small sip from your mug. Nathalie glances away and pointedly adjusts her glasses. “Francois requested the day off, and I thought since you and Adrien's schedules were free, it would be nice to eat together.”

She brushes some of her hair back. Thinking back, it was hard to remember the last time you had all actually eaten together. Despite living under the same roof, it felt like your schedules weren't lining up as of late. Nathalie had done her best to try to make that happen, but there was only so much one person could do. You nod to yourself, leaning against the island. “That does sound nice.”

Nathalie turns back to finishing breakfast as the timer on the over goes off. Heat bursts from the oven as Nathalie opens the door, and subsequently fogs her glasses. She clicks her tongue in annoyance, and tosses them aside while grabbing a knife from the silverware drawer. Satisfied that the quiche was done, she set it aside on a pot holder and slammed the over door shut.

You laugh quietly and sip your coffee. You were thankful that, for the most part, Adrien had been supportive of this transition. Most of the major growing pains were behind you, and those that lingered were dealt with as they reared their ugly head. Pieces of your life that you thought had been lost had been found, and were falling into place once again. You couldn't say this was how you had envisioned yourself ending up, but you certainly couldn't complain about it.

Nathalie glances over her shoulder while heating up another pan for what you assumed were crepes. “Did you finish the design you were working on last night?”

You nod a few times, then set your mug down and straighten. “For the most part. There's still some fine tuning to be done, but nothing that should be too time consuming.”

“That's good to hear. Maybe now I don't have to worry about you falling asleep at your desk again.” You laugh quietly as she swirls a piece of butter around in the bottom of the pan. She throws her glasses back on as it starts sizzling loudly and ladles in a bit of batter from the bowl.

You drain your mug as she loads up half of it with ham, cheese and spinach. “Would you mind grabbing another plate for me?” You do as she asked, and lingered behind her as she cooked. She smiles, while setting the first crepe aside. “Are you taking notes?”

“I think I have the theory mastered, the practice is another thing.” As hard as you tried to help Nathalie when she was whipping something up for the three of you you were never much help. Between burning things or not being able to cut something evenly to save your life, you contented yourself watching. Cooking wasn't your calling.

Nathalie laughs quietly, spooning more batter in the pan. “Maybe one day you'll work your way up to making toast.”

“I happen to like it dark, thank you very much.” You kiss the top of her head while she worked. It still smelled like her shampoo.

You loop your arms around her waist. Being this close to her could be a breath of fresh air. Whether it was few seconds or a few minutes you could relax and forget about the problems in the world. If you could, you would have kept her in your arms forever. There was where you could keep her safe...

“Gabriel?” Nathalie cranes her neck to get a better look at you. She seemed to be searching your face for something, but you hoped she didn't find whatever she had been looking for.

“Sorry.” You loosen your grip on her and straighten. Nathalie plates the rest of the crepes and turns the stove off before directing her attention to you. She takes your hands in hers and smiles gently.

“Are you alright?”

You nod slightly, “Yes.” and take a deep breath. There wasn't any sense in getting so worked up. You couldn't remember the last time things had been so peaceful. There was no sense in ruining it by overthinking things. “I'm fine, really.”

Nathalie didn't seem convinced. She runs her thumbs over the backs of your hands. “You know Gabriel, love, like many other things, isn't always easy.” She gently squeezes your hands and gazes into your eyes. “but you make it feel so simple.”

You lean forward and touch your forehead to hers. It was strange how she always seemed to know what to do or say in times like this. You weren't sure if you would ever be able to quiet that tiny voice in the back of your head that constantly foretold disaster. You weren't sure if your past wounds would ever fully heal, but you should at the very least find simplicity in this. Getting to this point might not have been easy, but you knew sometimes you needed to stop and appreciate these smaller moments. These simpler times meant the world to you. Nothing could ever change that.

“Thank you, Nathalie.” She seemed caught a little off guard as you kissed her forehead and straightened. “I'll go get Adrien, it'd be a shame if all your hard work got cold.”


End file.
